Marinated Mushrooms

Day 2 of our “One Month Raw Food Cleanse”
As mentioned in my February 5th posting, mushrooms are a true longevity food and have been used in Chinese medicine for centuries. Since this month we are focusing on detoxing and building up our immune system, mushrooms are an appropriate food to have on our raw menu.

I attended an all day mushroom seminar last month here in Sebastopol and learned a lot about how to grow mushrooms and about the benefits and many uses of our beloved fungi. When I asked about consuming them in their raw state, the instructor made a comment that the white button mushrooms can be eaten raw but the others (many of which have even better medicinal qualities like shitake and maitake), should be cooked. Also, since white button mushrooms are so successful in absorbing toxins, we should buy the organic ones if possible.

By marinating vegetables in a mixture of lemon juice and olive oil, the vegetables taste like they are “cooked” yet many of the nutrients that are destroyed by heat remain intact. Ceviche, a popular raw seafood dish, “cooks” fish, shrimp and scallops by marinating them in fresh lemon or lime juice. We will use a similar technique today to prepare a marinated mushroom dish.

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Marinated Mushrooms [makes 6 servings]
6 cups organic button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/8 medium sweet onion cut in thin slices
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt (more or less to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put sliced mushrooms and onions in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper. Add this dressing to the mushrooms and quickly and gently toss the mushrooms until they are well coated. With a large serving spoon, put the mushroom mixture into a gallon plastic storage bag. Remove some air, seal it well and lay it down in the refrigerator on its side (you might want to put it in a plate in case it leaks) for at least 4 hours, turning it occasionally so the mushrooms absorb the dressing evenly. Place the mushrooms in a serving dish and serve.

Per serving: 91 calories, 9.3 g fat, 1.3 g saturated fat, zero g cholesterol, 2 g protein, 3 g carbohydrates, and 1 g of fiber.

Menu for Day 2
Fruit smoothie for breakfast, left over sesame noodles with marinated mushrooms on the side for lunch. We are going to dinner tonight so I‘m not sure what raw delight I will find. I made some raw crackers for snacks which I’ll eat with raw almond butter. .

Creamy Vegan Mushroom And Artichoke Soup With Oyster Crimini And Shiitake Mushrooms Perfect For Holiday Menus!

This delicious, vegan, gluten free soup is thick with mushrooms and artichokes yet its less than 250 calories per serving!

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Holiday Menu
Its about time to start thinking about holiday menus again. If you love the rich taste and texture of mushrooms and artichokes, this may be the one to serve at your next special dinner! 
I used crimini, oyster and fresh shitake mushrooms in this but other mushrooms will do. I think Maitake, royal trumpet or just about any of the mushrooms I found during my tour of Gourmet Mushrooms in Sebastopol would do nicely!  

In this soup, I use crimini, oyster and fresh shiitake mushrooms but others will do nicely!

Cream Soup Without the Cream
I use several techniques to get rid of cream in my creamy soups. Sometimes I blend in silken soft tofu, sometimes I blend in potatoes. Ive even sprinkled in a few tablespoons of instant mashed potatoes. But today I just cooked in small diced Yukon gold potatoes (without blending) and finished the soup with So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer. The result is a rich, thick, creamy soup with no cholesterol and very few calories. (I used the French Vanilla version of this creamer the other day in my Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Ice Cream post. I love this product, although I do use it sparingly. Its especially good in chai tea.)

Folding in small diced potatoes to the mushroom mixture.
Cooking potatoes in a soup is a natural way to thicken it.

This rich creamer has zero fat and only 10 calories per tablespoon.  A perfect replacement for half and half.

Creamy Vegan Mushroom and Artichoke Soup
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 5 servings]


2 tablespoons Earth Balance vegan margarine
4 ounce shallot, cleaned and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/3 pound crimini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/3 oyster mushrooms, cleaned and torn into large pieces
1/3 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
4 cups vegetable stock
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced in 1/2" cubes
14 ounce can water packed artichoke hearts, rinsed & quartered
1/2 cup So Delicious Original coconut milk creamer
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Additional freshly ground black pepper


Heat Earth Balance in a 5 quart Dutch oven and cook shallots for several minutes until soft. 
Stir in garlic, thyme, black pepper, red pepper flakes, salt and mushrooms and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.
Mix in potatoes and then stir in vegetable stock. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 10 minutes or until potatoes begin to soften and the soup starts to thicken.
Stir in artichokes and cook another 15 minutes, partially covered.
Stir in creamer, heat thoroughly.
Serve topped with chopped parsley and freshly ground black pepper.


Per serving: 214 calories, 4.4 g fat, 1.4 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 5 g protein, 32.2 g carbohydrates, 5.7 g dietary fiber and 526 mg sodium.